Qld premier offers US piece of history

A piece of Brisbane's history could end up in one of the world's most prestigious museums, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk due to visit the Smithsonian Institute in the US.

As part of a trade mission to the US, Ms Palaszczuk will visit the Smithsonian on Saturday morning (AEST) to offer them some of the Edison tubes dug up earlier this month as part of the Queen's Wharf project.

The tubes were some of the earliest forms of conducting electricity on a large scale and Brisbane was behind only London and New York in installing the technology in the 1880s.

Several other international museums have expressed interest in Brisbane's Edison tubes.

It comes as the premier prepares to join Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other state and territory leaders to meet United States Governors at the National Governors' Association conference in Washington.

Ms Palaszczuk said she planned to forge more international ties for Queensland after striking deals with Texas and South Carolina.

"In Washington DC, its my intention to strengthen the partnership I initiated with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in 2016 to a Sister State partnership, recognising our common interests in energy, water management and mining technologies," the premier said in a statement.